LADWP Reimburses San Fernando Valley Customers Affected by Water Main Rupture

The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) Board of Commissioners has authorized the Department to issue $5 credits to the more than 10,000 San Fernando Valley residents affected by the Oct. 2 rupture of a critical water main.

The Water and Power Commission also instructed LADWP staff to work with the City Attorney's Office to expedite reviews of claims from its business customers in the Pacoima-Sheldon/Arleta area impacted by the disruption of service and water outages.

"We recognize that a substantial portion of our loyal San Fernando Valley customers were inconvenienced as a result of a temporary breakdown in the water system's infrastructure," said LADWP General Manager David Wiggs. "LADWP appreciates our customers' patience and understanding and we hope this credit will help alleviate some of the burden placed upon them."

The $5 credit, estimated to be 20% of the average monthly customer residential bill, was intended to help reimburse customers for the bottled water expenses and the overall inconvenience of having to boil water for nearly 24 hours following the main break.

The credits, which will be automatically applied to water bills, will be given to those residents in the Pacoima-Sheldon/Arleta area bounded to the north by Paxton Street, to the south by Branford Street, to the west by Canterbury Avenue and the East by San Fernando Road. Customers living in apartments, who do not directly pay a water bill, will receive the $5 credit on their power bill.

The 72-inch steel pipeline that burst was the original pipe constructed in 1913.

"Unfortunately, LADWP has an aging water infrastructure and significant investments continue to be needed in order for the Department to continue to supply reliable water to our residents," said Gerald Gewe, LADWP assistant general manager - water services.

Over the next 10 years, LADWP will invest more than $2 billion on these improvements, with $500 million dedicated to improving water quality. These infrastructure upgrades will include replacement of main pipes, meters and service lines. Aging facilities such as pumping and chlorination stations will be upgraded or replaced.

LADWP serves more than 3.8 million people in Los Angeles and was established 100 years ago to provide water and electric needs to the City's businesses and residents.